Dragonsrule's Den Of Random Pokémon Oneshots
by Dragonsrule18
Summary: Welcome to Dragonsrule's Den! This is a collection of unrelated Pokémon oneshots, drabbles, and story ideas with accompanying challenges, all to stop the dastardly little thing called writer's block. (Story 5) What do you do with your life after you've been betrayed? A still shell-shocked Ash contemplates. Story challenge inside!
1. A Girl And Her Magikarp

**Hi guys! Welcome to Dragonsrule's Den Of Random Pokemon Oneshots! I hope you enjoy!**

 **Andrea is a child OC that appears very briefly in my main Pokemon story, When One Door Closes, Two More Open. However, you do not need to read that story to understand this one.**

 **Summary: A little girl befriends a Magikarp in a pet store. Months later, their bond ends up saving her life.**

 **Rating Of Oneshot: K**

 **Genre: Friendship**

 **Pokemon Universe Set In: Technically, it's set in my When One Door Closes, Two More Open universe, but could be set in any universe, from anime to games.**

A Girl And Her Magikarp

Andrea happily clung to her daddy's hand, her blond curls bouncing as they walked into the pet store. She had just turned five and her daddy was getting her a very special birthday present. A Pokemon of her very own!

There were a lot of Pokemon in the pet store, Rattata, Pidgey, Growlithe puppies, Meowth kittens, and even a baby Eevee with a lot of people crowded around it. "So which Pokemon do you like best, Princess?" her daddy asked.

Andrea looked around the pet story, her little eyes wide. All of the Pokemon were so cute! But which one did she want?

She walked up to the Meowth kittens, but they were all playing with their toys and just ignored her. The fluffy little Growlithe puppies were cute, but they made Mommy sneeze, so they couldn't come home with her.

Looking around some more, Andrea noticed a glass door. It read "Aquarium." and had a picture of colorful fishies on it. Curiously, she opened it and went inside.

The first thing she saw was a big tank filled with red fish Pokemon. She remembered from her picture book that they were called Magikarp. She walked up to the tank and watched them swim around. Most just ignored her, but one Magikarp, the smallest Magikarp in the tank, swam up to her.

"Hi!" Andrea said happily, pressing her hand against the glass. The Magikarp, happy about getting attention, did a little flip in the tank, then blew some bubbles. Andrea giggled happily. "You're so cute! Do you want to come home with me and be my Pokemon?

The little Magikarp nodded eagerly, well, as best as a Magikarp could nod and blew some bubbles, then did another happy flip, actually leaping out of the water and landing back in the tank with a big splash, making Andrea laugh and clap her hands. "Yay! Let me get my daddy and we'll buy you and take you home! I'll be right back!" She ran out the door and the little Magikarp waited for her.

…..

Meanwhile, Andrea's father was looking around the store, thinking his daughter was right behind him. He stopped at the Eevee cage. "Sweetie, what do you think of…" He turned to look back at his daughter, his eyes widening in fear when he realized she wasn't behind him. "Andrea?! Andrea, where are you?" he called out frantically, all the worst case scenarios flashing through his head.

"Daddy!" he heard his daughter's voice call and he sighed with relief, running towards her.

"Andrea, where were you? You know you're supposed to stay with me!" he scolded her.

"I'm sorry, Daddy." she said sadly. "I went to the a..aqua…In there!" She pointed to the door of the aquarium room. "I found the bestest Pokemon in the whole store!"

"That's good, sweetie, but you need to remember, you have to stay with me when we're out. You had Daddy very worried about you." he told her and she nodded, looking down sadly. "Now let's go see that Pokemon." He took her hand and she led him back into the aquarium.

As soon as they entered the room, the little Magikarp immediately swam towards her, getting as close as it possibly could. "Isn't Magikarp the cutest? Show Daddy the flips you can do!" Andrea happily asked her new little friend. Magikarp immediately did another flip in the tank, making Andrea laugh and clap again. Magikarp then swam back to her and blew more bubbles happily.

Her father laughed. "Well, he certainly seems to like you. So is this the Pokemon you want, Princess?"

She nodded eagerly. "Yes, please!" She then cocked her head curiously. "How do you know Magikarp's a boy?"

"You can tell by their whiskers." he told her. "Boy Magikarp have yellow whiskers, while girl ones have white whiskers." Andrea nodded, absorbing this new information. "Now, Andrea, you know you've got to take really good care of him and make sure he's fed and his tank is clean." he reminded her.

"I will, Daddy." she promised, her little face showing an expression of fierce sincerity as her hazel eyes sparkled. "I'll make sure he's the happiest Magikarp in the world!"

Her daddy smiled. "Good. Now what are you going to name him?"

Her face scrunched up in thought. "Well, he likes to do flips and blow bubbles when he's happy. Hmm, should I call him Flip? No, that sounds funny. I don't like it. I think I'll call him Bubbles! That's a cute name!"

Her father hid a laugh and didn't have the heart to tell her that Bubbles was just as silly a nickname as Flip. The little Magikarp didn't seem to mind though, happy about having a name at all and all the attention he was getting.

"Let's get a salesperson to get Bubbles out for you so you can take him home. We'll also need to get an aquarium for him and some food." he told her. She grinned and raced out with him, eager to get everything Bubbles needed quickly so she could take him home.

…..

Later, Andrea sat happily in the car with her father on the way home, talking a mile a minute about Bubbles and how she was going to set up his new little aquarium and everything they would do together. The Poke Ball belonging to Bubbles was cradled protectively in her lap. Right now, the ball was officially registered to her father, but once she was ten and got her trainer's license, it would be registered to her.

Her father smiled at her excitement as they pulled into their driveway, then unloaded everything, her father carrying the aquarium while Andrea proudly carried the bag with Bubbles' food and the decorations for his tank. Andrea's mom was waiting at home for them and came to greet them when she heard the door open, expecting Andrea to come in with an Eevee or a Meowth at her side. She was surprised when she saw them come with an aquarium. "Hi, guys. What did you get?"

"I got a Magikarp! His name is Bubbles and he's so cute!" Andrea said happily, following her dad into her room where he set the tank down.

"A Magikarp?" she asked in surprise that her five year old had picked out a Magikarp with all the cute and cuddly Pokemon in the pet store. Andrea didn't even seem to notice her surprise, too busy decorating her new Pokemon's tank with the stones and plants she had bought so that it was nice and pretty when she put Bubbles in it.

"I was surprised too." her husband admitted. "But the little guy is really cute and smart for a fish Pokemon. He was even doing little flips for her and seems to absolutely adore her. Plus, she absolutely loves him and that's what's most important." He then laughed quietly. "And it was a LOT less expensive than an Eevee would have been, so that's a huge bonus right there."

"She does seem very happy. I just hope she doesn't get bored with him after the thrill of having her first Pokemon wears off. Magikarp don't do all that much." her mom said.

"Somehow, I don't think she'll get bored with him at all. With how they acted together in the store, I think those two will be friends for life." her dad reassured her.

….

And her dad was absolutely right. The bond between the little girl and her Magikarp friend only grew stronger. Andrea spent a lot of time with Bubbles, petting him through the top of the aquarium, reading to him, drawing pictures for him, and simply talking to him. She made sure to feed him every morning and kept the aquarium clean with her dad's help with lifting. And Bubbles absolutely adored his little trainer, doing a flip every time she entered the room or he heard her return from school, sticking his head out to be petted and nuzzling her, and blowing bubbles for her to make her smile. Andrea even taught him how to leap out of the water and jump through a little ring, definitely proving to her mother that there was nothing dull about this Magikarp.

Bubbles quickly grew and after two months, was starting to get too big for his tank. Andrea, being an independent little creature, wanted to earn the money for his tank "all on her own" and did little jobs for both her dad and the neighbors. A chunk of "Christmas money" from both her parents and grandparents also helped to pay for it, and Bubbles soon had a new tank for Christmas, which the Magikarp thanked her for by jumping in the air and giving her a nuzzle.

Months passed and winter became a nice warm spring. Once the weather was warm enough, Andrea's dad set up her kiddy pool in the backyard and Andrea always brought Bubbles out to swim with her. The two developed a little game, splashing each other and laughing, and chasing one another around the pool, which was always fun for her parents to watch. Her parents loved the bond Andrea shared with her first Pokemon, but they never knew that bond would soon save her life.

…..

"Andrea, are you ready to go to the lake?" her mother called one day in late May.

"I'm ready!" Andrea called, dressed in her little blue swimsuit and wearing her life jacket. "Can Bubbles come too?" she asked pleadingly.

"All right. But keep him close to you. You don't want him to get lost." her dad said after a few moments of thinking.

Andrea squealed happily and ran back to her room. "You get to come to the lake with me, Bubbles!" she told her Magikarp. He did one of his happy flips and waited for her to recall him to his Poke Ball, which she soon did, running out to join her parents.

The lake was only a short walk from the house and was a fairly secluded place but also very nice, many small fish and fish Pokemon calling the lake home with some forest and bug Pokemon also living in the woods around the lake. It had a small sandy beach area where Andrea's mom set out a blanket and a cooler full of drinks, snacks, and lunch. She also had a rod and began fishing, while Andrea's father read a book, both keeping an eye on their daughter though as she let out Bubbles and the two began to play.

The two happily swam and leapt around in the shallows, splashing and chasing one another, happy to have so much more space to play together than they did before. After a little while, Andrea had an idea. "Let's have a race!" she told Bubbles who happily gave her his version of a nod. She climbed out of the water "You swim in the water and I'll run on land. Let's see who's faster!" she giggled. "Ready…set…go!" She ran and Bubbles took off after her.

After a few minutes, Andrea was running closer to the denser section of the woods through tall grass. Andrea's mother looked up and saw this. "Andrea, don't run so far off!" she called and she and Andrea's father got up quickly. Andrea did stop, but in the process, accidentally stepped on the tail of a sleeping Arbok who was laying curled up in the grass. The Arbok was not happy about being awakened and shot up to its full height and hissed at Andrea, who screamed and tried to back away, but tripped and fell. Her mother and father screamed too and started to rush over, but they would never make it there in time as the Arbok hissed and coiled, ready to strike…

But Bubbles was there. Letting out an angry sound, he leapt out of the water and tackled the Arbok, startling it and knocking it back a little. But it recovered and moved towards the girl and the offending Magikarp, preparing to attack again and Andrea screamed again, scared for both herself and her beloved Bubbles.

Bubbles let out a sinister sounding growl at this snake daring to attack his trainer and his body glowed, lengthening and growing to a massive size as he evolved into a very angry blue Gyarados. Bubbles pulled Andrea out of the snake's range and against him protectively with his tail while his savage jaws gripped hold of the snake, both wounding it badly and throwing it into the woods a great distance away. Her parents watched all this in shock as they raced towards their daughter.

Once the threat was gone, the Gyarados's eyes immediately softened and it turned to Andrea, checking to make sure she was okay and very gently nuzzling the shaking girl. Her parents had finally reached them and hugged their daughter tightly.

"B-Bubbles?" she asked, looking up at the huge sea serpent who had once been her little Magikarp. The sea serpent nodded. "You saved me…Thank you…Thank you." She threw her arms around Bubbles the best she could and the Gyarados returned her hug by very gently coiling around her, careful not to hurt her. She looked up into his eyes and smiled. "You're so big…but how?"

"He evolved, sweetheart. He evolved to save you. He's a Gyarados now." her father said softly with tears in his eyes, looking up to the massive water Pokemon with pure gratitude. "You saved my daughter. Thank you. Thank you so much." Bubbles nodded and looked back down at his young trainer. Once everyone calmed down enough, he moved into the shallow waters of the lake and motioned for Andrea to get on his back, wanting to take her for a ride around the lake and cheer her up. Andrea had always been able to read Bubbles well and understood this, grinning and climbing on. Her father went with her for the first few times, but then let Andrea ride by herself as he watched carefully and proudly, knowing Bubbles would never let anything happen to the little girl on his back.

...

The friendship sparked in a pet store would last a lifetime, only growing stronger as the two grew. One day, when Andrea becomes ten and gets her license, the two will go on their journey together.

But that's a story for another day.

 **I hope all of you enjoyed my short story! Please review and let me know! Also, let me know if you have an idea for a oneshot you'd like for me to write! If I use it, you will be given credit for the idea.**

.


	2. A-Not-So-Perfect First Date(AshMisty)

**Hey, everyone! Welcome to the second installment in the Den Of Random Pokemon Oneshots! This is a response to a reviewer request from my lovely friend, CharmedMilliE-Karry Master to write some Pokeshipping. For those of you who like Supergirl, check out her stories! :)**

 **For those who want to send in a request for a oneshot, there are a few rules.**

 **1.) This is a T rated story, so I won't be writing smut for it.**

 **2.) I actually stopped watching the anime itself halfway through Diamond and Pearl, and while I do know some things about Serena and Iris, and have filled in the blanks with Bulbapedia and with other fanfictions, I may not know enough about either of these girls to write Amourshipping or Ash/Iris. So depending on the request, I may or may not be able to write it.**

 **Summary: Ash is taking Misty out for their very first date and he wants everything to go perfectly, but he forgets to take Murphy's Law into account and everything goes wrong, and at the same time, very, very right.**

 **Rating: K+-T**

 **Genre: Romance/Humor**

 **Universe: Anime/General, where Ash is older and not quite so oblivious. He and Misty are around seventeen in this story.**

 **Warnings: None**

The Not-So-Perfect First Date

Ash took a deep breath as he walked arm in arm with Misty, trying to hide his nervousness. _Okay, Ketchum. This is your first date with Misty. It took you years to ask her out, so you've got to make this date absolutely perfect._ he thought to himself. He looked at Misty, who looked gorgeous with her hair down and was wearing a green sundress just for the occasion, which was casual, but also elegant. She didn't wear makeup, but then again, she never needed to, not in his eyes. He had told her she looked beautiful tonight, making her blush. He had never been the smoothest with words, but at least he had got that right.

He had put a lot of planning into this night after he had asked her out yesterday and she had actually said yes. He would take her to the Seven Stars restaurant that had just opened a chain in Kanto, then he would take her to that movie she had been dying to see. He had even done something he rarely did and dressed up tonight, putting on a nice dress shirt and pants rather than his usual outfit. And he would make sure NOTHING went wrong tonight.

But he never took Murphy's Law into account.

As he led her into the restaurant, and the waiter led them to their table, he wracked his brain to remember all the dating etiquette his mom had reminded him about today when he had told her about the date. _Okay, Mom said I'm supposed to pull out her chair for her._ he remembered, so he did exactly that.

Right as Misty was about to sit down, making her land hard on the floor. "Hey!" she yelled, glaring up at him.

"Crap! I'm sorry, Misty!" he said frantically, helping her to her feet.

"What was that about?" she asked angrily.

"I-I was trying to pull your chair out for you." he said sheepishly.

"Well, next time make sure I'm not about to sit down first." she said, though her irritation had cooled. "Idiot." she added, though this was in an affectionate tone.

 _At least I didn't blow it too much._ he thought to himself as he picked up his napkin, intending to place it on his lap, only to drop the silverware contained in it all over the floor, making Misty giggle.

"A little clumsy tonight, huh, Ash?" she teased him.

"S-Shut up." he mumbled, blushing and she playfully stuck her tongue out at him, which made him laugh. They ordered their drinks and food and things went a little more smoothly as Ash talked about his latest adventures and Misty talked about the gym, catching up on everything they had missed in the years they had been apart. Ash was enjoying himself with her and thinking nothing else would go wrong tonight.

Unfortunately, it did.

When their food arrived, Ash grabbed the ketchup to squirt some on his burger, but nothing would come out. He frowned and squeezed it harder, and the pressure made the bit of dried ketchup blocking the nozzle come out, sending ketchup squirting everywhere.

Including on Misty, right on the front of her new dress.

"Ugh!" she groaned and glared at Ash. "Ash, watch what you're doing!"

"I'm sorry! It was an accident!" he told her.

"I'll go get it cleaned up." she sighed and got up to head to the girl's room. "I will get you for this later, Ketchum."

He watched her go with a sigh and then smacked his forehead. "Stupid, stupid, stupid!" he muttered to himself. What was with him tonight? Why was he more accident prone than usual?

Thankfully when Misty got back to the table, she had gotten her dress cleaned and had cooled off. The two finished their meals and split a dessert, talking and laughing as they told funny stories about their adventures and also reminisced about the old days when they had traveled together.

Ash paid the bill afterwards and they were starting to get up to get ready to go to the movie when Ash, standing up from his chair, accidentally bumped into a waiter who was carrying a water pitcher and several glasses on a tray. Though thankfully nothing broke, the water pitcher tipped and poured all over both Ash and the waiter.

"I'm so sorry!" Ash stammered for what felt like the millionth time that night.

"It's quite all right, sir." the waiter said but grumbled under his breath as he went to go refill the water pitcher and get dried off.

"Tonight's really not your night, is it, Ash?" Misty asked, trying not to laugh.

"Apparently not." Ash said and went to go dry himself off.

…..

The movie theater was thankfully not too busy as it was a Thursday night. Ash paid for the tickets and went to go get them popcorn and soda, even though they had just eaten. "We can't see a movie without popcorn." he told Misty, who playfully rolled her eyes at him.

After getting their snacks and drinks, the two headed into the theater. Unfortunately, there was a wet spot on the floor from someone's spilled drink, and Ash with his luck tonight slipped on it and fell hard, sending the popcorn and sodas flying everywhere, making some people around them laugh.

Misty was again trying not to laugh as well as she helped him up. "You okay, Ash?"

"I'm fine. Stupid wet spot…" he mumbled as an attendant came in to clean up, giving Ash a dirty look.

Ash helped pick the cartons and drink cups up, then went to get more snacks. Thankfully he didn't slip this time as he sat down next to Misty.

The rest of the previews and most of the movie went fine. The movie was excellent, an action, comedy and romance that both guys and girls could like, and Misty snuggled into him. They shared popcorn, at one point both reaching inside the bucket at the same time and touching each other's hands, which made them smile, blush, and keep their hands inside the bucket for a few minutes. Both were having a great time and Ash thought the earlier mishaps of the night were over.

But once again, the poor guy was wrong.

Jessie, James and Meowth had seen the two go into the theater and decided it was the perfect time to go steal Pikachu, not knowing Pikachu wasn't even with them. So they found one of their giant robots and devised the perfect evil plan. Or not.

The movie was just getting to the climax when there was a loud bang and Team Rocket came crashing through the screen driving a giant robot with a rubber hand attached.

"Since we're back in Kanto, let's use our original motto!" Meowth suggested to Jessie and James and they nodded eagerly.

"Really? Right now? Can't these idiots ever leave us alone?" Ash groaned.

"Prepare for trouble!" Jessie started and leapt to the top of the robot.

James leapt out of the robot as well. "And make it double!"

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie." Jessie struck a pose.

"And James." James gave his signature smile, holding his usual rose.

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light."

"So surrender now or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth, that's right!" Meowth said with a grin. Ash was banging his head against the seat ahead of him.

"So hand over Pikachu, twerp!" Jessie yelled to Ash.

"Pikachu's not even here!" Ash yelled. "And you're ruining my date with Misty!"

"Aww, twerp love." James said with a smile.

Jessie whacked him on the head. "Who cares?! How are we supposed to steal Pikachu with no Pikachu?!"

"Yeah, that wasn't part of the plan, twerp!" Meowth yelled.

"Well, neither was you guys showing up and screwing up everything!" Ash yelled back.

"Well, that's what Team Rocket is for." James said with a grin. He then looked to the other two. "So what are we supposed to do now?"

"Um…Let's steal everyone else's Pokemon and get Pikachu later!" Meowth said with a grin. "Hand over your Pokemon, everyone!"

"Not happening!" some random ten year old boy yelled. "Manectric, Thunder!" His electric dog shot off a powerful Thunder, hitting something explosive on the robot and sending it and Team Rocket through the hole they had made in the wall.

"Team Rocket's blasting off again!" they yelled as they disappeared into the distance.

…..

Unfortunately, everyone had to leave after that so the theater could repair the holes in their wall and screen.

"I can't believe Team Rocket made us miss the end of the movie." Misty groaned as they walked out.

Ash sighed and looked at the ground. "I'm sorry, Misty."

"What for? It's not your fault Team Rocket are idiots." Misty asked.

"I-I wanted to give you the perfect date, but everything went wrong." he said softly.

Misty lifted his chin up to make him look at her. "Ash, everything didn't go wrong. I still had a great time tonight."

"You did?" he asked in shock. "Even if I pulled out your chair and made you fall on the floor and I spilled stuff and Team Rocket showed up and everything went crazy?"

"Crazy is us, Ash." Misty said with a laugh. "When we first met, you and Pikachu wrecked my bike and I followed you all over Kanto so you'd pay me back for my bike. Though it wasn't about the bike for very long, I'll admit. We're Ash and Misty. We don't do normal. We do chaos and excitement and fun. If we had some perfect date, it wouldn't have been us."

She pulled him into a hug. "And my life's been boring without you. I've missed you and your craziness."

"And I've missed you and your craziness and your temper too. It hasn't been the same without you." he said softly and hugged her back tightly. He looked to her. "Someday, I do want to go on another journey again. But when I do it, I want it to be with you."

"And I want whatever adventures I have next to be with you too, Ketchum." she told him and playfully elbowed him.

Ash smiled and leaned in almost shyly, pressing his lips to hers, feeling the sparks and the fire he had always had felt with Misty, whether it was arguing or trying NOT to kiss her. And even though the date hadn't been perfect, the kiss, and their friendship and romance with all its flaws and arguments and chaos, certainly was. Sometimes, perfection could only be found in imperfection.

….((And a little snippet especially for CharmedMilliE!))

Meanwhile Team Rocket landed several miles away. "Wow, that Manectric was powerful." James muttered as he got up off the ground, somehow completely unharmed.

"It might even be more powerful than Pikachu!" Jessie said, eyes wide.

Meowth grinned. "You know what that means."

"Let's steal it for the boss!" all three cheered.

Somewhere else, the boy with the Manectric stopped in the sidewalk. He didn't know why, but for some strange reason he felt like he would be suffering a lot of annoyance for the next twenty years…

 **I hope all of you enjoyed! Please, please review and let me know what you think of my stories! I am also taking reviewer requests for what oneshots they want me to write next. And to CharmedMilliE, thank you again for helping me with story ideas when I get stuck. Without you, I may have never gotten When One Door Closes, Two More Open updated.**

 **RECOMMENDED READS: If you enjoy Pokemon action/crime stories, I would highly recommend Phantoms Lurking by Boss Salamence and Champion Of Nightmares and Shadows Of War by Rebelrabbit. All three are incredibly action packed and have great plotlines and OCs. Unfortunately, none of these stories have got the amount of reviews or notice they deserve for how great the quality of their stories are, so if you like action/crime stories and you have the chance, please check them out and leave these guys a review!**


	3. The Mini Ghostbusters

**Hi all and welcome to Dragonsrule's Den! This oneshot is for my lovely reviewer X59, who requested to see some bonding between Ash and his cousin Ethan from my main Pokemon fic, When One Door Closes, Two More Open.**

 **Now, this story is written in my When One Door Closes, Two More Open universe, but the only things you need to know to understand it are that in my story, Ash Ketchum and Ethan from HeartGold and SoulSilver are cousins in my fic and that my Ash is a little more timid, sensible, and mature(Sometimes) than canon Ash, while Ethan is wild and crazy and often his attitude rubs off on Ash when they're together. Also, in my AU, Ethan's father left while Ash's died when he was very young.**

 **Also, I am taking reviewer requests for oneshots. The rules will be listed at the bottom of the page.**

 **Now I'll stop babbling and get one with the actual story. Please review and let me know what you think! Reviews make me happy, give me new ideas, help me find the flaws or plotholes in my story, and keep me going.**

 **Summary: After watching Spirit Hunters, Ash and Ethan sneak out and explore a supposedly haunted house. What will they find?**

 **Rating: K+**

 **Genre: Family/Friendship/Humor**

 **Universe: Set in my When One Door Closes, Two More Open universe, about a year before the story starts. This oneshot can be read alone.**

 **Warnings: None**

The Mini Ghostbusters

Young Ash Ketchum was happily bouncing as the ferry approached Olivine City. Delia Ketchum smiled at her son's excitement. He had just turned nine and the only thing he had asked for his birthday was to go see his cousin, Ethan, in Johto. The two boys were very close, more like best friends or brothers than cousins, even though they could only see each other a few times a year. Delia couldn't resist the sweet request, arranging for one of her friends to watch her restaurant so she could take her son on a week long trip to Johto during Ash's spring break. She had surprised Ash with the ferry tickets and the news on his birthday and Ash had been over the moon about it.

As the boat pulled into the port, Ash happily raced for the dock, excited to meet his aunt and cousin who would be waiting for them. "Ash, slow down!" his mother called out to him.

He stopped short. "Sorry, mom." he said sheepishly, though he was still pretty eager to get going.

The two walked off the ferry, seeing Ethan and his mom waiting not far away. Ash ran up to his cousin. "Up high, Ash!" Ethan said, holding out his hand for a high five with a grin. Ash grinned back and quickly tried to high five him, only to have Ethan pull his hand away. "Too slow!" Ash laughed and held out his hand for a handshake and Ethan reached for it, only to have Ash pull his hand back behind his head before he could. Both boys burst out laughing.

Delia and Ethan's mom smiled at the scene. "It's really good to see you." Ethan's mom told him. Like their sons, the mothers were close friends, Ethan's mom, Elaine, was Ash's father's sister, and the two had been high school friends before Richard Ketchum and Delia started dating, with Elaine having been the one to introduce Delia to her brother. The two had been each other's rock when Ethan's father had left when Ethan was three and Richard had died in a car accident when Ash was five. Even when Elaine and her son moved to Johto to be near family, the two remained very close, exchanging letters weekly and Elaine and Ethan visiting every Christmas and in the summer whenever they could.

"It's good to be here." Delia said. She had really missed her friend and knew Ash had missed his cousin. He didn't really have any friends at school after his fall-out with Gary and she knew he had been lonely.

As they headed towards Elaine's car, the adults caught up as Ethan happily talked to Ash about everything they could do that week.

"…And Mom said we could go to the theme park sometime this week and I also got this new tent and since Mom said it's too cold to camp outside tonight, I set it up in the living room so we can have a campout right next to the TV. Which is more awesome anyway since there's a marathon of Spirit Hunters on tonight. We can watch it together."

Ash grinned. Spirit Hunters was one of his favorite shows, along with League battles and Professor Oak's Pokemon Talk. The ghost hunting show was exciting and had a lot of cool mysteries to it, and he absolutely loved watching it with Ethan in the dark where they could spook the heck out of themselves and each other. "That sounds awesome!"

Ethan smiled happily. "This is going to be a great week!"

….

Later that night, the two boys hung out in Ethan's tent on top of their sleeping bags watching the PAS(Paranormal Activity Specialist) team explore a haunted castle in Unova. It seemed to be the most haunted place the ghost hunters had ever encountered, with knocking on the walls, the team being tapped on their shoulders, their female member getting her hair pulled, and moans and voices that could be heard through EVP but not by the investigators that were there asking questions. Some tests were done for both natural causes and ghost Pokemon, both of which came up blank, concluding that this might be a genuine haunting.

"This is so cool. They might have actually gotten a real haunting this time rather than ghost Pokemon pulling pranks." Ethan said as he took a bite of microwaved S'more.

Ash nodded. "It would be so awesome to explore a haunted house and get proof of a real ghost. I wish we could do that."

Ethan grinned as an idea hit him. "Maybe we can!"

Ash was about to ask him what he meant by that when their moms walked into the room. "Okay, boys, it's ten o' clock. Time for bed." Delia told them.

"Aww, can't we watch a few more episodes?" Ethan pleaded.

"No, you can't. You boys need your sleep. We have lots to do tomorrow." Elaine said and turned off the TV.

The boys grumbled a little but climbed into their sleeping bags. Once Delia and Elaine had gone upstairs, Ash turned to Ethan. "What'd you mean?" he whispered. "There's no haunted places near us."

"Actually, there is." Ethan said with a grin. "There's an old abandoned house a few doors down from us and everyone says it's haunted. They all call it the Terror House. Apparently an old miser died there and he still remains, trying to guard his hidden treasure. People have tried to find it, but they've been scared off each and every time. Bobby Evans from school was triple dog dared to go in it at midnight by some of the other guys a few days ago and he ran out screaming, saying there's a ghost in there and it threw things at him and told him to get out."

"That might be neat to check out." Ash mused. "Maybe we could go there tomorrow."

"No. We should go tonight!" Ethan suggested. "Ghosts are more likely to show up at night. Bobby went in at midnight and that's when he saw the ghost."

"Ethan, our moms would kill us if we snuck out of the house this late!" Ash protested.

"Not if they don't catch us." Ethan whispered. "You know how quiet we can be. Remember when we snuck out last year to play midnight hide and seek? They never even woke up. Now we need some flashlights….and I'll get my digital camera so we can get photos and videos. Maybe we can prove there's a real live ghost there, and if we don't, I can prove to the guys at school that we were brave enough to go into the Terror House." He rummaged through the drawers and cabinets very quietly and got out two flashlights and his digital camera. "We don't have an EVP like the ghost hunters on the show, but this will have to do. Ready to go?" He was already putting on his red and white jacket and his black and yellow ball cap.

"Ethan, are you sure this is a good idea?" Ash asked, though he did really want to go.

"Of course! We can be real ghostbusters, just like the ones on TV!" Ethan said, excited. "It'll be fun! Now, are you coming or not?" He gave his cousin the puppy dog eyes.

Ash sighed and gave in. He did really want to see that house after all…. "Fine, fine. I'll get my jacket…"

…..

"How'd I let you talk me into this again?" Ash grumbled a few minutes later as the boys walked down the deserted path towards the Terror House. Their flashlights cast spooky shadows on the dirt path and surrounding grass, and the rustling of the grass and the cracking of tree limbs filled the air with eerie sounds, making Ash slightly rethink his decision to follow his crazy cousin on this late night quest, even though the logical part of his brain knew that it was just some small nocturnal wild Pokemon.

"Because you wanted to just as much as I did." Ethan said with a grin, but did jump when a Hoothoot hooted from a nearby tree, looking sheepish afterwards. "And because you know it's going to be spooky and fun."

They soon arrived at the Terror House, a dingy, abandoned house with peeling paint and cracked windows, but thankfully no structural instabilities. Ash went and knocked on the door. Much to his surprise, the door swung open slightly. "What the-"

"Bobby might have left it unlocked when he ran out and no one cared enough to lock it up again. Or...the ghosts are welcoming us! Let's go in!" Ethan told him, grabbing his cousin's hand and pulling him inside.

"Yeah, follow the plot of the horror movie we watched last year." Ash mumbled but followed his cousin in, looking around curiously. There was a badly scratched end table and an empty coat rack in the entryway, both covered in a layer of dust.

"Whoever's haunting the house, we're not here to take your treasure or anything that doesn't belong to us! We just want to meet you!" Ash called out and Ethan looked at him strangely. "What? I want to meet a ghost, not make one ticked off at us."

"Point taken." Ethan said as they walked into the living room of the house, their flashlights lighting up a moth-eaten and damaged couch and chair, a dusty coffee table, and a bookshelf with a few dusty, beaten up tomes in it.

Suddenly, there was a rustling behind them. "Did-Did you hear something?" Ash asked nervously.

Ethan nodded. "Y-Yeah." He quickly shined the flashlight behind them and caught a glimpse of something disappearing into the shadows. "Please tell me you saw that..." He quickly snapped a photo, trying to catch whatever it was in it.

"I did." Ash told him shakily. "It could have been a Rattata or something though. It is an old house after all..."

 **THUMP!**

Ash and Ethan quickly turned at the sound and pointed their flashlights towards it. A book lay on the floor, having tumbled from the shelf. The boys looked up slowly to see what made the book fall, Ethan snapping a photo very quickly at the same time. Their eyes widened as they saw two big red glowing eyes staring at them.

"AHHHHH!" they understandably screamed and ran down the hallway. The eyes watched them go and the curious, confused Hoothoot the eyes belonged to quietly followed them.

...

The boys ran into the room furthest down the hallway and quickly shut the door, panting heavily. "You think we lost it?" Ethan asked breathlessly.

"I don't see any red eyes anywhere, so I think we did." Ash said as he looked around. "And do you realize we both did that stupid horror movie cliche of running deeper into the haunted house rather than out of it?"

Ethan sighed. "I know. I know."

They pointed their flashlights around the room, revealing an old study/library. It seemed like this room had been untouched for a long time with old books still on the library shelves and a desk with papers, an open book, pencils and pens, and a reading lamp with a broken bulb in it. Ethan put his digital camera on the "video" setting, wanting to record all this as Ash held his flashlight to give them more light.

Curious, both boys went to check out the book and papers on the desk when the pages of the book suddenly began to flip rapidly and papers began flying off the desk. Ash and Ethan backed up, frightened.

"M-Maybe it's just the wind." Ash stammered.

Ethan's eyes were as wide as dinner plates. "What wind? The windows are closed..."

Books suddenly startled tumbling off the shelves and both boys whirled in that direction, Ethan pointing his camera towards the shelves as Ash pointed his flashlight there. Nothing could be seen, yet the books were still dropping from the shelves in a straight line like something was pulling them out.

"Who-Who's there?" Ash asked, frightened, before remembering that was not a good question to ask in a haunted house.

An ominious cackling filled the air, making both boys tremble in fear and the papers on the desks came flying at them as books tumbled off the shelves faster. A dark, sinister voice filled the room. **"Get out...Get out!"**

"AHHHHHH!" Both boys scrambled to flee the room, colliding with each other in their rush to get to the door, falling on the floor, and getting back up again as the ominous laughter continued and books now started to go flying across the room. Ash got the door open and pulled Ethan safely out, but both stopped short as they saw the red eyes staring at them again from outside the door. Both boys screamed in pure terror and Ethan fell back, but Ash grabbed his cousin and pulled him up, half dragging him up the hallway, through the living room, and out the door of the house.

...

Ash and Ethan ran all the way back home, but remembered they had to be quiet and crept into their house, heading back to the living room and their tent and sleeping bags. Thankfully, their moms were still asleep and hadn't noticed they were gone.

"That was the single scariest and coolest thing I've ever done." Ethan said once both boys had caught their breath and calmed down enough to keep their hearts from racing. "I can't believe we saw a real ghost! And even though I almost peed my pants, I still got it all on video! Let's check it out! The guys at school will never believe this! We might want to edit out our screams of terror though..."

The video was still running, so Ethan stopped it, put his camera on charge, and started the video from the beginning. They watched the papers start to go flying when Ash noticed something. "Hey, what's that?"

"What?" Ethan asked, squinting.

"That purplish, blackish blur right there by the desk." Ash said, pointing it out. "And there it is again by the bookshelves. Pause it." Ethan did and the cousins looked closely at the picture. They saw a translucent purplish shape with visible eyes and arms as well as a gaseous body. "Hey, that looks like a Haunter!"

"Yeah, you're right." Ethan replied. "I wonder..." He started the video again and a few more shapes came into frame which looked like a second Haunter and a Gastly. "Aww...It was just ghost Pokemon messing with us..." Ethan groaned. "And we didn't even have Poke Balls with us, nor do we have our trainer's licenses yet, so I couldn't catch one!" Ethan absolutely loved ghost Pokemon and he had always wanted one.

"You'll get one soon." Ash comforted him.

"Not for a year and six months." Ethan sighed as he was a little over six months younger than Ash. Ash silently vowed to get him one and surprise him with it for his tenth birthday.

Ash then remembered something else. "Wait. Those three ghosts couldn't have done everything! What about those red eyes we saw before we even went into the study and on the way out?"

"Yeah, you're right! I think I got a picture of that too!" Ethan exclaimed, switching to the pictures he had taken before the video. "Okay, wall, ceiling...Wait, here it is!" Ethan stopped at that picture which revealed...

A blurry photo of a confused looking Hoothoot sitting on the bookshelf.

"And we ran from a Hoothoot." Ash sighed. "Wow, do I feel stupid..."

"Yeah, me too. Definitely not showing this to the kids at school." Ethan mumbled.

"We'll see a real ghost eventually." Ash reassured him. "I still have Lavender Tower and you have Sprout Tower to go to, and they're supposed to be really haunted by both ghost Pokemon and ghost ghosts."

Ethan perked up a little. "Yeah, you're right. And you'd better get Lavender Tower on tape for me! I want to see it!"

"I will." Ash promised as the two lay down on their sleeping bags. All was quiet for a few minutes until Ash suddenly sat up. "Ethan?"

"Yes?" he mumbled sleepily.

"If everything there was ghost Pokemon, who told us to get out? Pokemon can't speak English."

Ethan's eyes widened as he sat up and both boys stared at each other.

...

Meanwhile back at the Terror House, the two Haunter and the Gastly were laughing at the epic prank they had played on the two boys that came to visit.

 _"Don't you guys think that was a little mean?"_ the Hoothoot asked, worried about the two boys.

 _"No, they wanted to see a ghost, so we gave them one. Or three."_ one of the Haunter said with a laugh.

 _"Yeah, that'll be the highlight of their week. Humans love to scare themselves silly."_ the second Haunter reassured her.

"And it keeps the legend of this house alive."the Gastly said in perfect English. _"_ And protects old man Thornby's greatest treasure. It's just too bad they had to leave before I could show them my most epic act."He used his illusions to form a scary old man with empty eye sockets, a flowing white beard, and a skeletal body.

 _"You never did tell us how you did that."_ the first Haunter said.

The Gastly went back to his normal form and grinned. "Trade secret. Now I've got to go back to Maiden's Peak. The tourist season is coming and I need to make sure no one forgets the Maiden Of Maiden's Peak."

 _"Good luck. And don't be a stranger, you hear?"_ the Hoothoot told him, nuzzling him.

 _"Yeah, we'll miss you, buddy."_ the first Haunter said, giving him a quick hug.

 _"Scare a lot of people for us."_ the second Haunter added.

"I will. Goodbye." Gastly said and flew off, his friends waving goodbye.

He then looked back to the attic of the Terror house, where a ghostly old man was smiling at him. He smiled back. _Rest peacefully, Old Man Thornby. Your treasure will remain safe and your legend will remain alive forever._

 **I hope all of you enjoyed this fic and little Ash and Ethan! I also had the Gastly from Maiden's Peak make a cameo because I loved the episode, but unfortunately, it was pointless to my main story and I had to leave it out.**

 **Also, if PAS(Paranormal Activity Specialists) is actually a real ghost hunting team, I do not own them. I also do not own Pokemon or a blatant ripoff of Ghost Hunters.**

 **If anyone would like to send a suggestion for a oneshot for me to write, here are the rules.**

 **1.) This is a T rated story, so don't ask me to write smut for it.**

 **2.) I will take requests for both game and anime oneshots, but I actually stopped watching the anime itself halfway through Diamond and Pearl, and while I do know some things about Serena and Iris, and have filled in the blanks with Bulbapedia and with other fanfictions, I may not know enough about either of these girls to write Amourshipping or Ash/Iris. So depending on the request, I may or may not be able to write it.**

 **RECOMMENDED READS: If you enjoy Pokemon action/crime stories, I would highly recommend Phantoms Lurking by Boss Salamence and Champion Of Nightmares and Shadows Of War by Rebelrabbit. All three are incredibly action packed and have great plotlines and OCs. Unfortunately, none of these stories have got the amount of reviews or notice they deserve for how great the quality of their stories are, so if you like action/crime stories and you have the chance, please check them out and leave these guys a review!**


	4. Pikachu's Worst Nightmare

**This story is for a reviewer request from my friend Geniusinmath, who asked for a Pikachu-centric fic. I hope you enjoy and that it's not too sad.**

 **For those of you who want to submit a request for a oneshot you want to see me write, here are the rules.**

 **1.) This is a T rated story, so don't ask me to write smut for it.**

 **2.) I will take requests for both game and anime oneshots, but I actually stopped watching the anime itself halfway through Diamond and Pearl, and while I do know some things about Serena and Iris, and have filled in the blanks with Bulbapedia and with other fanfictions, I may not know enough about either of these girls to write Amourshipping or Ash/Iris. So depending on the request, I may or may not be able to write it.**

 **Summary: Even blocked memories can haunt your dreams. Pikachu has a horrible night terror, but thankfully, Ash is there for him.**

 **Rating: T for dark imagery from the first movie.**

 **Genre: Angst/hurt/comfort/friendship**

 **Universe: Anime, set sometime after the first movie.**

 **Warnings: Again, dark imagery from the first movie and a nightmare of temporary character death.**

Pikachu's Worst Nightmare

 _There was pain, there was fighting all around him, but he refused to join in, letting himself be hit by someone he couldn't recognize again and again, not fighting back, not adding to this war, just wanting someone to stop this…_

" _ **Stop!"**_ _Ash yelled and Pikachu watched in horror as his trainer leapt to stop the fighting, jumping between two creatures Pikachu couldn't name or see fully just as they let out powerful bursts of blue and pink light at each other but hit Ash instead in a terrifying explosion…_

" _ **Pikapi!"**_ _Pikachu screamed as he rushed to Ash's side as his trainer fell with a pained cry. As the light that hit Ash dissipated, cold gray stone slowly covered his soft human flesh, leaving Ash a motionless, unresponsive statue…_

 _No, no, no…his trainer couldn't be dead, couldn't be gone….Pikachu shook him, trying to wake him, but only felt cold hard stone. No! He wasn't going to lose him! He would bring him back! Pikachu shocked Ash hard. This had never failed to wake Ash up before and he would get up and and everything would be okay; it had to be! But the stone stature that had once housed his trainer's bright spirit remained unresponsive and Pikachu shocked him again and again and again._

 _But there was nothing. He wouldn't wake up, wouldn't open his eyes and hold Pikachu again…He…He was…He was gone. His Pikapi was gone. And all Pikachu could do was cry… But then he heard a voice. His trainer's voice…_

" _ **Pikachu?"**_

…..

"Pikachu? Pikachu, wake up, buddy! You're having a bad dream!" Pikachu heard Ash call and felt himself be gently shaken. The electric mouse jolted up with a gasp and quickly turned around to see himself back in the camp with Brock and Misty sitting up groggily and Ash right beside him.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu cried out and jumped into Ash's arms, sobbing.

"Hey, buddy. It's okay. Everything's okay. I'm right here." Ash told him while softly cuddling his starter to him. "That must have been a doozy of a nightmare but you're all right now." He tenderly rubbed Pikachu's back to soothe the frightened, crying electric type.

"Everything okay?" Misty asked sleepily.

"Yeah, Pikachu had a really bad nightmare, but I got this. You guys go back to sleep." Ash told his friends as he cuddled his starter.

The dream was quickly dissipating from Pikachu's memory as he cuddled into Ash and he couldn't recall anything from the nightmare now except for the fact that he had lost Ash in it. But his Pikapi was safe, alive, and with him and Pikachu slowly calmed as he snuggled against Ash's chest and listened to his trainer's heartbeat, which was strong and steady.

Ash lay down again, still with Pikachu in his arms, holding him close, making him feel safe and comforted. "You okay now, Pikachu?" he asked, still worried about his best friend.

Pikachu nodded as he snuggled into his trainer. His Pikapi was here with him and everything was all right now. The nightmare had been only that, a nightmare. Ash was safe and Pikachu was going to keep him safe.

Slowly, both Pikachu and Ash fell asleep snuggled up next to each other, knowing that as long as they had each other, they had everything and that nothing could keep them apart.

 **Hope you guys liked it and it wasn't too dark or too sappy. If it was, I can do a new Pikachu oneshot that's happier. Please, please review as I can't know if you guys like it or not if you don't review!**

 **And for those who say Pikachu's memory was blocked, so he shouldn't be having those dreams, his memory was indeed blocked, but the subconscious remembers everything, and what's in your subconscious can affect your dreams. But most of the time, you can't remember your dreams, and as Pikachu's memory was blocked, he no longer remembered what the dream was about when he woke, only the terror he felt and that he lost Ash in it.**

 **RECOMMENDED READS: If you enjoy Pokemon action/crime stories, I would highly recommend Phantoms Lurking by Boss Salamence and Champion Of Nightmares and Shadows Of War by Rebelrabbit. All three are incredibly action packed and have great plotlines and OCs. Unfortunately, none of these stories have got the amount of reviews or notice they deserve for how great the quality of their stories are, so if you like action/crime stories and you have the chance, please check them out and leave these guys a review!**


	5. Life After Betrayal

**Hey, all! Welcome back to Dragonsrule's Den! This new oneshot/drabble comes with an attached challenge Lately, I've seen a lot of betrayal stories(and have read several of them) and thought of doing a little introspection fic of what Ash might be feeling a few weeks after being betrayed. And it's vague on purpose to work with any betrayal story. I also thought of things I'd like to see in a betrayal fic and made my own betrayal fic challenge. Let me know if you want to do the challenge, and everyone, please let me know what you think and take a few minutes to review! I'd really appreciate feedback from all of you! Also, if you have any requests for a oneshot, please let me know!**

 **Summary: What do you do with your life after betrayal? A still shell-shocked Ash contemplates.**

 **Rating: T for safety**

 **Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Friendship**

 **Universe: Set in any where Ash is betrayed by his friends. No specific time frame, but likely between Johto and the end of Kalos.**

 **Warnings: If you absolutely hate betrayal fics, don't read this.**

 **Notice: This drabble is up for adoption if anyone wants it to use in their betrayal fic.**

Life After Betrayal

I thought we would be friends forever. I cared so much for them and I thought they cared for me. But when I needed them most, they let me down, abandoned me and betrayed me and everything we shared together.

I don't know what to do. I don't even know what to think I don't know whether to hate them or myself. Was this all my fault? Did I do something to push them away? Or was it all them? One minute I feel angry, wanting to get revenge and pay them back for what they did to me. The next minute, I just want them back, to fix whatever went wrong and to have my friends by my side again. Is it normal to feel both ways at the same time?

At least I'm not alone. My loyal Pokémon stuck by my side and refused to abandon me. They've stuck extra close these last two weeks, comforting me and letting me know I'd never be alone. I don't know what I'd do without them. Probably crash and burn.

And there's been another friend beside me, a legendary I helped, who came to me as soon as they found out what happened. They've been an absolute godsend, defending me, staying by my side, offering advice without sugarcoating anything, and simply listening during my confused, angry, scared rants. They deserve a medal putting up with me like this. When I told them that though, they simply smiled and said that that's what friends were for. And they've been a true one.

I've been thinking back on my journey, both on my mistakes and my victories. I want to do things right this time, fix my mistakes and be the trainer my Pokémon deserve. We've been training hard and discussing what to do next, trying to figure out how to put our lives back together. I still don't know what to do yet, whether I want to get revenge, prove my former friends wrong, or simply move on with the rest of my life, but I'll figure it out, and I know I'm not alone.

Life after betrayal is never easy; it hurts like hell, and I'm not okay yet.

But in time, maybe I will be.

 **Life After Betrayal Fanfic Challenge**

 **As you guys know, there is a lot of betrayal fics out there. Several are good like the ones from Knight Of Kanto, which are now discontinued, but many more either have horrible grammar/spelling, so much so that you can't really read it, and some are just plain terrible. I honestly do like some betrayal fics for some reason, I think it's a guilty pleasure type of thing and I want to see more really good ones written.**

 **1.) As usual, the first rule is that Ash is betrayed by some of his friends for whatever reason(loss of a league and them thinking he's weak/holding them back, too much danger being with him, being bribed with vast riches, prestige, or some other reward or even a threat from a criminal organization, his friends were brainwashed or put under mind control, Ash was framed for a major crime, etc.)) Who betrays him and why is up to you. Also, please have at least the Pokemon he is closest to stay loyal to him.**

 **2.) A legendary, one with a close personal relationship to Ash(Ex. Mewtwo, Azelf, Zexrom/Reshiram, Victini,, Keldeo, Latias) does help Ash, whether it's getting him out of a dangerous situation, helping clear his name in the case of a crime he's been framed for, helping him train, or simply being a good friend and giving him moral support.**

 **3.) Unless he was framed for a major crime, in which case hiding out would be necessary, Ash CANNOT disappear off the map for training and plotting revenge. Have him do something like traveling in either a new region or an older region he wants to do better in and becoming the champion of that or becoming a Frontier Brain or a Pokemon Ranger or something he'd enjoy and that is fun and interesting. He can want to prove the ones that betrayed him wrong, but please don't have him waste his life on it or go into isolation because of some words. Sometimes the best revenge is living well, and I've rarely ever seen that showcased.**

 **4.) There can be a "Master Tournament" if you want to, though it isn't at all necessary for this challenge, but please, unless Ash was framed for a crime or has a reason to fear for his safety or the safety of his friends and Pokemon, don't have him show up using an alias. Have him show up using his own name. It sends a much stronger message than Ash pretending to be someone else, especially if the betrayal was insults and abandonment. Honestly, if he shows up with a new name to a tournament just because they were assholes, it means they already won.**

 **5.) Ash must get progressively more mature throughout the story, but DON'T God-mod him or make him a Gary Stu. If he has aura or psychic abilities, have him struggle to use or control them, at least at first, and make sure they have real weaknesses.**

 **6.) Besides the helper legendary, one or two others can join him, but no more. And Arceus, Dialga, and Palkia cannot join him, both due to being so overpowered and their own responsibilities. And it would be good to see the less used legendaries get a chance to shine.**

 **7.) No Evil!Ash. And please don't make him too much of an asshole, unless you want random people to treat him like he's an asshole because he's acting like one. Because that's how an audience would truly see someone if they're being too much of a jerk.**

 **8.) No harems please, but you can use whatever pairing you want to, though I'd prefer it if you did something other than Rayshipping or Amourshipping as they're so overused and I hate Amourshipping(that doesn't mean you can't use it though.)). Slash is also an option. Also, remember no pairing at all is an option too.**

 **9.) Really build your world. Make me feel for the characters. If Ash has a journey, go into it. Let me see what's in Ash's head. Let me see the bond progress between Ash and whatever Pokemon he has, with the helper legendary, and with whoever his love interest is if he has one. Don't just summarize. Add detail. Make the interactions between characters realistic.**

 **10.) The last and one of the most important rules. MAKE THE "TRAITORS" PUNISHMENT ACTUALLY FIT THE CRIME! Many authors either go WAY overboard with the punishments or less likely, have Ash forgive too easily.**

 **If they were brainwashed or put under mind control, they should be forgiven for what they did. You can't exactly control what you did under mind control. Ash can be a little unsure or wary around them at first as that's a natural response, especially if they physically hurt him, but he would likely forgive them in a case like that.**

 **If they betrayed Ash because they were trying to protect him in some way, once he got the full story, Ash would likely cool off, but it would likely take him a while to fully trust them again.**

 **If they betrayed Ash because they genuinely thought he committed a crime, especially if false evidence was planted to make it more believable. once Ash's name has been cleared, they should be ashamed of what they thought and attempt to make it up to him. He doesn't have to(and probably shouldn't) completely forgive them right away, but have them work to earn his trust back.**

 **If they insulted Ash, said he was too weak and should give up his dream, or that he was holding them back, but didn't attack him or anything, Ash proving them wrong and humiliating them in battle will be enough. Them being disowned and losing their gyms or all their Pokemon is going way too far. If a Pokemon is more attached to Ash or one of the Pokemon loyal to him, they can leave their trainers, but actually give them a reason to. The ones that were closer to their trainers would likely side with them unless they did something really wrong. Honestly, when people are just jerks, the best thing to do is move on, make some new friends that won't treat you like that, and prove you can do whatever you set out to do, and have a good and happy life. After all, like I said before, the best revenge is living well. If they apologize to him and mean it, he can forgive them, but he likely would have problems trusting them for a long time.**

 **If they betrayed Ash because a criminal organization threatened them or their families, have them take whatever punishment the law provides for whatever they did, if they were forced to commit a crime to him or frame him for one, though the punishment would likely be lighter if they were threatened into it. If they just insulted or abandoned him due to the threat, once the threat is removed by Ash, have them apologize and do anything they can to make it up to him. Again, he doesn't have to forgive them right away, and it should take him a while to trust them again.**

 **If they betrayed Ash because of a reward from a criminal organization, jail time and losing their gyms and Pokemon might be necessary, again depending on what they did. Also, have Ash get their reward money, if they got money, as compensation.**

 **If they betrayed Ash through insults, then attacked him or his Pokemon when the argument escalated, they can be charged for assault or attempted murder, depending on the severity of the attack and also lose their gyms and Pokemon.**

 **If they purposely framed Ash for a crime, they should be sent to jail, either for the crime or as an accomplice, depending on what happened once the truth is proven. Also, they would lose their gyms and pokemon as well as possible disownment from their families or villages.**

 **Good luck with this challenge if you decide to take it and I'd love to read your story!**


End file.
